Cast of Netflix’s ‘Hellbound’ talks Season 2 with NextShark
Despite bringing to life the intensity of Netflix’s “Hellbound” Season 2’s storyline — filled with dark themes, existential questions and relentless action — the cast and director of the Netflix series managed to keep things light behind the scenes.
Known for exploring the disturbing and the supernatural in his acclaimed works like “Train to Busan” and “Peninsula,” director Yeon Sang-ho surprisingly leads with a jovial nature during production.
“I’m not really that serious on set,” Yeon tells NextShark while laughing, with his lead actors nodding in agreement.
“The director always made sure that the atmosphere was very cheerful and positive,” says Kim Hyun-joo, who portrays lawyer Min Hye-jin, noting that Yeon shares many stories on set.
“He’s a chatty person. He has a lot of things to talk about,” adds Kim Shin-rock, who plays the resurrected Park Jungja, to which Yeon agrees that his storytelling is reminiscent of a radio.
The first season of the K-drama thriller “Hellbound,” based on the webtoon of the same title, set the stage for a world in turmoil, where people receive supernatural decrees condemning them to Hell. These “hellbound” judgments triggered public displays of fear, panic and moral questioning, with terrifying executions broadcasted globally. Season 1 followed multiple groups, notably the New Truth Church, a religious organization using these decrees to consolidate power, and the violent Arrowheads, who exploit fear for vigilante justice. At the heart of “Hellbound” is lawyer Min, who tries to protect the condemned and counter the New Truth’s oppressive tactics. When a condemned baby miraculously survives, it hints at cracks in the New Truth’s authority, leading to a world uncertain about the real nature of good and evil.
The new season, released on Oct. 25, dives into even darker territory, with the resurrections of former New Truth Chairman Jung Jinsu and supposed sinner Park Jungja. Their returns shake the social order further as the government seeks to control the public’s response, while Sodo (Min’s secret organization), the New Truth and the Arrowheads all intensify their struggles for influence.
While the first season was heavily inspired by modern-day social dynamics, Yeon explained that he looked inward to the “Hellbound” universe itself for the latest season.
“Normally, when I come up with ideas for my work, I try to be inspired by the current society that we’re living in,” Yeon said. “But this time around, I wanted to be inspired by the universe of Season 1 only if possible, since this was a sequel to that.”
This approach allowed him to fully immerse viewers in the world of “Hellbound” without diluting it with real-world comparisons, instead building on the universe’s existing tensions, conflicts and lore.
Returning to her role as Min, Hyun-joo prepared herself for the demanding action scenes and the emotional toll of her character’s journey. Min, now battle-hardened, faces increased physical and moral challenges as she leads Sodo. She prepared physically for the demanding scenes, training extensively to embody Min’s resilience.
“I thought that this character, Min Hyejin, expressed a lot of her character through action scenes, so this is something that I and director Yeon kind of focused on — how we could express and convey her character through action. It’s been eight years, and she has been through so many things over those years … I just wanted to take all of the emotions and struggles that she has had, condense it and make all of it explode the moment she appeared for the first time in Season 2,” Hyun-joo explained.
Kim Sung-cheol, who stepped into the role of Jung Jinsu after actor Yoo Ah-in’s departure, approached the task with respect for both the original portrayal and the complex character in the series’ webtoon.
“There is the original webtoon,” Sung-cheol said. “I focused on his facial expressions and the way he spoke, even though I couldn’t really hear off of paper. I tried to imagine the way he spoke, the way he acted.”
This allowed him to create a version of Jinsu that both honored the first season and added new depth. He added, “In order to give myself some room for interpretation and some room for maneuver, I tried to make the character a little more flexible.”
As for Shin-rock’s character, Park Jungja, she embodies some of the series’ strongest societal critiques. Her resurrection adds weight to the show’s themes of exploitation and objectification.
“I believe Park Jungja is a symbol of how society wants to turn her into a symbol of something,” Shin-rock explained. “So I want to really focus on the fact that this series and the people inside the story don’t really view her as a human being and as an individual, but everybody tries to turn her into a representation of something.”
Jungja’s arc mirrors the show’s exploration of dehumanization, questioning whether society is interested in truth or merely in controlling narratives to maintain order.
With rich storytelling, complex characters and bold visuals, “Hellbound” poses more twists and existential questions to fans, unraveling the consequences of resurrection but also forcing its characters — and viewers — to confront the unsettling boundaries between salvation and damnation.
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